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I read your news piece on the updated Lexus NX, but you didn't mention the CO2 rating. What does it emit? 

I live in the Republic of Ireland and am considering the purchase of a car from a Northern Ireland dealer which he has imported from Japan. My understanding is that it would be registered in NI before being exported to ROI.

Would there be VAT and customs duty payable on importation to ROI?

Should I buy a BMW 5 Series diesel-hybrid second hand? Is this a high risk and does the extra weight impact performance?

I'm looking at either the 2027 VW Passat Estate R-Line or Tiguan R-Line, and I want a diesel. Which is best?

Hi,

I’m looking for some advice on a 2019 Hyundai Tucson 1.6 CRDi automatic, with 123,000km on the clock.

On the drive home from the dealer I bought it from I noticed intermittent power loss/surging, mainly at speeds over 100 km/h. It gives 3–5 quick surges where the power briefly drops and comes back, then can drive normally for 10–15 minutes before happening again.

The engine light came on initially. I returned it to the dealer and they carried out a DPF regeneration, saying the DPF was the problem. The car drove normally for about four days, then the exact same fault returned.

The original diagnostic scan showed:

P20EE00 – SCR NOx catalyst efficiency below threshold
P2BA800 – NOx exceedance/interruption of reagent dosing activity
P20C900 – reductant control module requested MIL
P24AE00 – particulate matter sensor circuit
P067100 – cylinder 1 glow plug circuit
B121100 – front centre-left sensor fault

The scan also showed estimated soot in the particulate filter of 18.98g.

The dealer has now carried out a Hyundai diagnostic and road test. Their report says they reproduced the fault at 120km/h using a flight recorder and “captured the fault on the current data.” They have diagnosed “EXH temp sensor 0 faulty” and say there are currently no active fault codes.

My question is: does an exhaust temperature sensor fault potentially explain the original symptoms and the codes above or should the DPF/SCR system be investigated further?

I'm within the first 30 days of purchase, so I need to decide very shortly whether to accept the proposed repair or reject the car. I don't want to replace a DPF unnecessarily, but I also don't want to accept a sensor repair if it doesn't address the underlying problem.

Any advice?

How much should I pay for late 2022 Kia e-Niro with 68,000km on the clock and a range said to be over 400km?

Should I keep a car my new (262), electric Volvo EX30 for five to seven years, so as to even out depreciation and overall costs per year, or change every four years or so like most people do?

Hi team,

I am trying to import a car from either Northern Ireland or UK , and I'm not sure of the costs or process.

All I know is that from NI if it’s been registered for the last six months there the car is excluded from VAT and customs, but I have to pay VRT.

Now my interest would be to purchase a 2012 Mercedes S-Class 350 diesel with 90k miles on the clock. I wanted to know a breakdown of the process and the cost.

Here in Ireland they are very expensive cars compared to in other countries.

Much appreciated.

Is it possible to import an ex-MOD vehicle into Ireland as it doesn’t have the V5C? The car comes with an MOD release document.

Will the new Hyundai Tucson be available with a diesel engine in Ireland?